These rally fans got a close-up look at just how dangerous rally driving can be - when they cheated certain death by mere inches when a car flipped right over them.

The accident happened at the 2014 Jolly Rally Valle d’Aosta in northern Italy over the weekend when driver Piero Scavone and navigator Diego D'Hérin's car lost control as it came around a corner.

After mounting a wall, the car flew through the air, torpedoing towards a group of spectators sitting nearby.

The spectators look certain to be struck. Some try and scurry out of the way, while others seemingly realise its too late and simply hope for the best.

The car then nose-dives on to its bonnet, and flips over the spectators, before crashing back on the race track.

And as luck would have it, none of them were hurt, The Clio Super 1600 was reduced to a mangled heap in the crash, but miraculously Mr Scavone and Mr D'Hérin escaped serious injury. The pair were taken to hospital for a precautionary check, but were understood to not have sustained any injuries.

Rally racing is different now from what it was in the past, the old "Group B" was known as the Killer B's because they raced within feet of the fans. People often were hit in crashes, and like the running of the bulls, it was part of the fun to jump out of the way at the last moment.